Far Right and Far Left not taken off like other Countries

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Because we’re the blacks of Europe. Try a little tenderness.

Billy86 wrote: »

It's definitely one of the more positive aspects of Irish culture that we've not got much time for that nonsense, as frustrating as some on AH may find that.

But could that be because the conditions required are largely absent? Since austerity and water charges, the far left has gained much more of a following. Not saying they'll get into government but still, much more of a following. There is also an increase in anti immigration feeling with the formation of such parties. These may just be seeds but given the right conditions they'll grow.

I think it might have something to do with the centuries of struggling to rule our own nation.
The far Right or Left are, in practice, oppressive to any opposition.
As a people, we know exactly what that entails.

Daisy Incalculable Schwa wrote: »

But could that be because the conditions required are largely absent? Since austerity and water charges, the far left has gained much more of a following. Not saying they'll get into government but still, much more of a following. There is also an increase in anti immigration feeling with the formation of such parties. These may just be seeds but given the right conditions they'll grow.

It's an interesting point on the far left parties. I took a look and in 2011 (Socialist Party, PBP, WAUA, Workers Party) got a total of 60,000 first preference votes give or take a few hundred, and totaled to 2.7% of FPv. By 2016 they had mainly come together under AAA-PBP who gained 84,500 first preference votes while the only others were the Communists (185 first preference) and the Workers Party (3,056), with the three combining for 4.15% of FPv.

As a percentage is it certainly a noticeable rise at about 50% each, but on the back of a few very, very austere years it doesn't present that promising of a future to build upon in my opinion. They seem to have lost quite a bit of steam in the last year or so as the furore of the water charges (which peaked around 2014-16 as I remember it, right in the lead up to the election) has died down somewhat and the economy has stabilised. There was also the minor matter that the more they talked about any kind of fiscal policy the more they exposed themselves as magic money tree chancers.

I suppose another crash like 2008/09 could give them something more to build upon but outside of that I think their roof is pretty low and their growth doesn't really compare to the that seen by far left/far right parties on the continent over the same time period, thankfully.

Autochange wrote: »

It's because there aren't enough people of different beliefs here from other countries. That's slowly changing though

Ireland has a higher number of immigrants than most east European countries. But maybe fewer refugees than some western countries.

To be fair to Italy the burden of most Mediterranean immigration is falling on them.

alaimacerc wrote: »

Illegality is, I suspect, neither here nor there. Lots of anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK, and for obvious reasons very little of the immigration "irregular".

Ireland's seen relatively little immigration of any sort until very recently, and most of what there's been has been from the EU. Is it really a shock that there's no large violent skinhead gangs? Or populist politicians giving out yards about Poles coming over here, being... well, what'd the objectionable stereotype be?
Slightly more Catholic, slightly more socially conservative, slightly more hard-working, and slightly more hard-drinking than the natives?

There’s plenty of hostility in the U.K. to EU immigration. That’s the reason for Brexit.